Emotional Unavailability is when he/she-
How can you handle an emotionally unavailable person?
Here are 4 tactics (with examples):
1. We know they struggle with expressing their emotions, right?
And we know they tend to be distant.
So, what can we do?
Simple: lead by example.
In short, we have to express our feelings.
For example you can say:
→ “Listen, I feel a little bit distant lately. Is there something on your mind?”
→ “You know what? I sense you’re a bit distant. Is there something we should address together?”
2. They get uncomfortable during deep talks, right?
So let’s create a safe space where they can talk.
For example you can say:
→ “I really want us to feel cool talking about our emotions. How about we make a chill space where we can just share openly?”
→ “Listen to this. What do you think about creating a judgment-free space where we can express our emotions? Totally safe – no judgment!”
3. They tend to be not fully present, right?
“Why?”
Because they don’t feel understood.
“So…?”
So we need to make them understood, right?
“How?”
By letting them know we understand their perspective.
For example you can say:
→ “Hey, I noticed you might be going through something. I’m here to listen whenever you’re ready to share.”
→ “Hey, I forgot to tell you that I’m here if you want to share what’s happening. I know it’s a tough time, isn’t it?”
4. They tend not to share their experiences, right?
Well, neither their thoughts and dreams…
So, what can we do?
We can encourage them to express their emotions.
How?
By saying something like this:
→ “Did I already tell you? I love when we share our feelings! It helps us to understand each other better, right?”
→ “Just one thing: I really love when we share our experiences and thoughts. Can we do that more often? You know, for our relationship.”
These are 4 tactics you can use to handle an emotionally unavailable person.
And remember: empathy needs to be the number 1 ingredient.
There is no way to move a person from “unavailable” to “available” without empathy.